Shifting spanner or wrench.



No. 870,510. PATENTED NOV. 5, 1907. F. HARTRIDGE, T. G. THORNE & E. ROOKES. SHIPTING SPANNER OR WRENCH.

APPLICATION TILED FEB.12. 1907.

mwbozs %mfbzw UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE.

FRANK HARTRIDGE, THOMAS GEORGE THORNE, AND EDWIN ROOKES, OF SITTINGBOURNE, ENGLAND.

SHIFTING SPANNER OR WRENCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 6, 1907.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANK HARTRIDGE, THOMAS GEORGE THORNE, and EDWIN ROOKES, all subjects of the British King, all residing at Sittingbourne, Kent, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shifting Spanners or Wrenches; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to spanners or wrenches capaole of adjustment to the various sized nuts, rods, pipes, or other articles, it 'may be desired that the tool shall grip for the purpose of screwing or unscrewing such articles into or from position; and has for object to so construct such devices that the distance required between the gripping jaws to accommodate them to the size of the article to be operated upon may be regulated or adjusted in a much simpler and more handy manner than has heretofore been possible with spanners or wrenches as hitherto constructed and employed for the purpose. And in order that this our invention may be fully understood, we will describe same with reference to the accompanying drawings and the figures and letters of reference marked thereon, that is to say:

Figure 1 shows in side elevation a shifting spanner constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the lower jaw and handle of same. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a modified form of my invention.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in each of the figures where occurring.

In carrying our invention into effect, we make the jaws, a, and b, of the. shifting spanner or wrench of a similar type to those of the now well known Footprint spanner, and inclose the handle, 0, of the upper jaw, a, between the two sides, d, and e, (see particularly Fig. 2) of the handle of the lower jaw, b, which latter is made channel shaped or of two side plates connected together at their rear edges at a suitable dis tance apart by a cross plate or by pins or the like. In

the Footprint spanner aforesaid the one jaw is pivotally attached to the other by an adjustable pin or screw passing through the two sides oithe handle of the lower jaw and through a longitudinally arranged slot formed in the handle of the upper jaw, but, in accordance with this invention, a tooth or projection, f, acting as a pawl is formed or fitted within the handle, d, e, of the lower jaw, b, which takes into a toothed rack, g, formed upon the rear edge of the handle, 0, of the up-- per jaw, a,. and holds same in any required position when gripped in the hand. This arrangement necessitates the slot, h, in the upper jaw handle, 0, being wide enough to allow of a sufiicient play therein of the fulerum pin or screw, '5, to permit of the pawl, f, on lower jaw handle, d, e, clearing the teeth of the rack, g, on the upper jaw handle, 0, when it is desired to adjust the jaws to a required width apart.

In Fig. 3 a modification is shown in which the slot, h, in upper jaw handle, 0, is formed with teeth, Z, upon the side nearest the ratchet, g. When operated the fulcrum pin, 1, fits in the notches between the teeth, Z, in the slot, h, and allows of the tool being worked with one hand only.

Claims:

1. In a shifting spanner, the combination of a wrench including two jaws each having a handle, the handle of the upper jaw being provided with a slot and with a ratchet on its rear edge, and the handle of the lower jaw being provided with a pin engaging the slot in the upper jaw handle, and with a pawl adapted to engage said ratchet, substantially as described.

2. A shifting spanner comprising an upper jaw provided with a handle, said handle having a slot therein provided with teeth on one side of said slot, and said handle having ratchet teeth upon its rear edge, a lower jaw provided with a channeled handle, with a tooth or pawl and with a fulcrum pin adapted to pass through the slot in the upper jaw handle, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, we aflix our signatures, in presenee of two witnesses.

FRANK IIARTRIDGE. THOMAS GEORGE THORNE. EDWIN ROOKES.

Witnesses H. D. JAMESON, A. NUTTING. 

